Frequently Asked Questions

Please click the questions below to discover the answers.

Q: What is a CFP®?

A: As a Certified Financial Planner™, Lesley Kilcullin has demonstrated expert knowledge across a broad range of financial planning topics. The CFP® designation is the recognized standard of excellence and ethics for personal financial planning.

Q: What is an independent RIA?

A: Registered investment advisors are distinct from brokers: RIAs sell advice, while brokers sell investments and other products. Earning commissions from product sales opens the door to potential conflicts of interest. Independent RIAs are unaffiliated with larger firms and so do not have a financial agenda beyond their own success and that of their clients.

Q: What is a fiduciary?

A: Fiduciaries are legally responsible for acting solely in your best interests. Most advisors are not fiduciaries; Kilcullin is among those that are.

Q: What is a fee-only advisor?

A: Fee-only advisors are distinct from those who earn sales commissions for part of all of their business. Because we earn fees for advice—not for product sales—we do not face the conflict of interest that brokers do.

Q: What services do you provide?

A: We have a broad service menu, which we tailor for each client’s needs. Some clients want comprehensive financial plans that include everything from cash-flow management to retirement planning to estate planning. Others want “a la carte” planning services to meet specific needs. On the investment side, we provide everything from a “second opinion” about clients’ investment decisions to the management of entire portfolios.

Q: How much money do I need to work with you?

A: There is no minimum asset amount required to work with us.

Q: What are your fees?

A: We use a flexible model to adapt to each client’s specific needs. Based on those needs, we charge either an hourly rate, an asset-based fee or a retainer.

Q: Where will my money be kept?

A: Our clients’ assets are custodies at TD Ameritrade Institutional, which provides brokerage and custody services to more than 4,000 fee-based, Independent Registered Investment Advisors and their clients. We do not have direct access to our clients’ money.